The 15th Annual Mineral County Fun Run took place on May 19, in St. Regis this year. And in typical Montana spring fashion, the cold and blustery weather wasn’t too enjoyable, but K-6th students from Alberton, Superior, and St. Regis braved the wind and flurries and ran their hearts out.

Community Health Specialist for the Mineral County Health Department, Amy Lommen reflected back on how the event originally got its start. She remembered, “One of the original organizers, Sue Hazlett, recalls the idea for the Fun Run came from a convention that health department employees attended. The speaker was promoting fun ways to increase physical activities with children.

The first several years the event was only for fifth and sixth grades students in the county. Then Lommen said, “The St. Regis PE teacher at the time, Cindy Feasel, suggested we expand the event to include all elementary students. The one-mile distance was created for the younger kiddos and their families, and we continued to offer the 5k distance for the 5th and 6th graders.”

She expressed, “This is when the event truly became a community event!”

Each year the annual fun run has continued to grow and now includes a group lunch for all the students. Some years they’ve even organized guest speakers and appearances, like Supaman and Monte the Griz Mascot, and one spring even had a full health and fitness expo. Lommen shared, “The schools all work together to coordinate dates, times, transportation, lunch and snacks.”

The Mineral County Health Department assists the host school each year in organizing the Fun Run, the schools rotate where it’s held each spring. Lommen stated, “It truly is a community effort to put this event together. Fire, law enforcement, health department, schools, volunteers, and families all come together for a fun activity that gets kids and the community moving. Run Wild Missoula and The Runner’s Edge also lend their inflatable arch, timing clock, hand timers, and race bibs to make the event extra special!”

Increasing activity levels in young children while also encouraging families to walk and run together is the purpose of the run. Lommen added, “The focus of this event is to bring all of the Mineral County communities together to promote healthy habits for kiddos and their families.” The Mineral County Fun Run will be held in Superior next year, and Alberton the following.